Pencil sharpener



Jan, 10, 1939. E. v. "HOWELL 2,143,797

PENCIL SHARPENER Filed April 29, 1935 ORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to pencil sharpeners of the type embodying a pencil-receiving and guiding element and a cutter, and more particularly it pertains to an article of that character in which 6 the pencil-receiving and guiding element is tubularin shape, thereby conforming to the generally cylindrical surface contour of the pencil, which element directs the feed of the pencil in the proper direction relative to a cutter which is W disposed crosswise of the tube and at a predetermined angle relative to the axis of the tube, to produce a cut of the desired taper.

I have found that the feed of the pencil can N most effectively be guided in proper alignment w with the angularly disposed cutter by providing,

on the entrance side of the cutter, a guiding element which conforms to the cylindrical contour of the pencil and which is somewhat extensive whereby to embrace a substantial portion of the pencil separate from, but disposed in proximity to, thearea of the pencil to be cut away. It is an object of my invention to provide a pencil sharpener which embodies, in combination with a feed-guiding element of that character, a cutter of simple construction which may readily be secured at the desired angle relative to the direction of the pencil feed as determined by the penoil-guiding element, to produce a cut of the desired taper, and I have found that a, cutter or W blade stamped from a strip of metal can effectively be secured in the desired angular position above-noted, by extending the tubular guiding element above the cutter and providing the extended portion of the tube with diagonally disis I posed slots .or similar means to position and secure the opposite ends of the cutter. As will appear, the cutter is itself. provided, adjacent its cutting edge, with a blunt guiding edge parallel to the cutting edge, which co-operates with the cylindrical guiding element to insure proper feed of the pencil and also to guard against any tendency of the blade to gouge the pencil during the cutting operation.

A further advantage in the provision of a pencil-receiving and guiding element which is of tubular construction conforming to the generally cylindrical shape of the pencil, is that a sharpener so constructed can be carried about on the pencil itself when not in use and is therefore not readily misplaced as are pencil sharpencrs of the type heretofore commonly employed. Furthermore, in the embodiment of my sharpener herein described, I have indicated a remarkably useful construction in which the pencil sharpener 55 in its entirety is constructed in the form of the ordinary pencil cap provided with an eraser and in which the metal strip from which the cutter is formed isextended exteriorly of the cap and bent into U-shape to form a pocket clip in a novel manner.

These and further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from a more detailed description. thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cutter ele- 1:0

ment;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view, partly broken away, of the complete pencil sharpener embodying my invention;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation View of the sharpener 15 on a slightly smaller scale than Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig; 2;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the operation of the cutter in sharpening the pencil, and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction.

I have illustrated in the drawing the preferred embodiment of my invention in which the sharp- .25 ener with its cylindrical feed-guiding element is constructed in the form of a pencil cap carrying an eraser, as I have found that that construction provides a very useful and saleable article. It will be understood, however that the advantageous -0 features of the guiding and sharpening elements of my cutter can be retained while changing the embodiment herein illustrated and my invention is to be limited in that respect only as indicated in the appended claim. 35

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the pencil-receiving and guiding element l is tubular in shape to conform to the generally cylindrical surface contour of the pencil 2. As indicated in Fig. 2, the cutter 3 is disposed 149 above the tubular guiding element I, and the guiding element provides a pencil engaging surface which is disposed adjacent the cutter and extends a substantial distance downwardly therefrom. To secure the cutter 3 at the desired angle relative to the axis of the tubular guiding element 1 to receive the extended upper end of the cutter 3, as will hereinafter be more fully described.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the cutter 3 is formed of a strip of sheet metal which is preferably bent to substantially the inverted U-shape indicated. The leg ll] of the U-shaped strip is somewhat reduced in cross-sectional area to permit its passage through the slot 1 of the tubular extension 4, the length of slot 1 being somewhat less than the width of the leg 3 of the U-shaped strip. Shoulders l I and I2 are formed at the juncture of the legs 3 and ll] of the U-shaped strip and these shoulders extend laterally of the ends of the slot 1, when the blade is in assembled position, and abut the inside surface of the tubular element 4 whereby positively to position the upper end of the cutter 3. The lower end l3 of the cutter 3 is bent slightly to parallel the vertical wall of the tubular guiding element I and the bent lower end l3 may effectively be secured in the position indicated, by providing it with a hole [4 which aligns with a corresponding hole in the wall of the element I (not shown) for the insertion of a rivet or similar securing means.

The cutting edge 20, Fig. 4, may effectively be constructed in the cutter 3 by slotting the same, as indicated at I9, with a saw or other implement, which, if passed at the proper angle through the stock of the cutter, forms not only the cutting edge 20, but also a relatively blunt edge 2! opposite the cutting edge 20, which functions to guide the end of the pencil during the cutting operation. As indicated in Fig. 5, the space between the cutting edge 20 and the guiding edge 2| of the cutter determines the depth of the cut and I have found that by employing a cutting implement such as a saw, of a thickness of approximately twenty-thousandths of an inch, which is passed through the stock of the cutter at an angle of approximately the proper spacing between the edges 20 and 2| will be formed whereby to provide a cutter element in which the desired depth of cut is automatically effected and also in which all tendency toward gouging of the wood during the cutting operation is eliminated. After the cutter 3 has been slotted at IS, the blade edge 20 may be sharpened in the usual manner.

The cutter 3 so constructed may readily be po sitioned and secured within the tubular extension 4 in the manner above described and as indicated in the drawing and when so positioned the cutter 3 is disposed at the proper angle relative to the axis of the tubular feed-guiding element l, and the axis of the pencil, to form a cut of the desired taper on the end of the pencil without any undue binding or resistance to turning during the cutting operation. It will be observed that the feed of the pencil is efiectively guided and maintained in the proper direction by the elongated tubular portion l which embraces a substantial area of the sides of the pencil and that the juxtaposed edges 20' and 2| of the cutter cooperate to assist in guiding the pencil feed and to produce a cut of the desired depth without gougmg.

It will also be observed that by providing the elongated narrow strip l0, which may be bent up slightly at its end, as indicated at 25, the extension of the cutter 3 itself forms a handy pocket clip by which the cap and pencil may be secured in the pocket. I

In Fig. 6 I have indicated a modification wherein the tubular extension, therein indicated at 30, is not cut away, as indicated at 5 in Fig. 2, but forms a continuous surface which conceals the cutter 3 and which is expanded for the purpose of providing ample room for the reception of shavings. The increased diameter of the tubular element 30 forms an enlarged chamber 3! for the reception of shavings as they are formed during the cutting operation and in the modified construction the eraser 32 acts as a plug at the upper extremity of the shavings-receiving chamber, which may readily be removed to empty the chamber 3| of the shavings contained therein. In this construction I enclose the eraser 32 in a metal cap 33 of the type commonly employed in the mechanical pencils in common use, the annular band 36 of which .frictionally engages the inner surface of the tubular element 30 for ready removal and insertion of the eraser plug. In the modified construction a slot 31 is formed at the point of egress of the cutter 3 adjacent the bent end I3 thereof.

It will be observed that the method which I employ for forming the blade edge 20 in the cutter 3, also forms both a cutting edge 22 and a blunt guiding edge 23 on the opposite surface of the metal strip,the edges 22 and 23 being spaced apart by a distance equal to the space between the edges 20 and 2|. In a further modification of my pencil sharpener I utilize the double edged cutter so formed by constructing a sharpener adapted to sharpen a pencil introduced to the cutter from either side. Thus, by a suitable modification of the construction illustrated in Fig. 6, a pencil may be inserted in the aperture uncovered by removal of the eraser plug 32, and the pencil so inserted may be fed to the cutter from above and sharpened in that position. By such a construction I am able to provide a pencil sharpener adapted to accommodate pencils of different diameters by the simple expedient of providing tubular guiding elements of difierent diameters above and below the cutter.

I claim:

A pencil sharpener comprising, in combination, a tube having a lower portion of a size and shape to confine and laterally to support the side of a pencil and a cutter comprising a metal strip disposed at an inclination across the upper portion of the tube and passing through diagonally opposite apertures in the side wall of the tube, the strip being secured to the tube and supported solely adjacent said apertures, the said strip being slotted to form parallel cutting and guiding edges extending lengthwise of the strip and spaced apart a predetermined distance to gauge the depth of cut, and the said tube being unrestricted internally adjacent the cutter to afiord an unconfined cutting movement of the pencil.

EDWARD V. POWELL. 

